Kentucky overtime is owed at 1.5 times the regular rate after 40 hours in a workweek, plus a verified seventh-consecutive-day premium rule, under KRS 337.050. — Source
Kentucky overtime rule used by this calculator
Kentucky's verified weekly overtime rule pays 1.5 times the regular rate after 40 hours in a workweek. The calculation uses the registry source shown above.
Seventh-consecutive-day rule: The registry marks a verified seventh-day premium for Kentucky. The calculator asks for all seven days and treats the final entered day as the seventh consecutive day when every day has hours.
Basic formula
straight-time pay = total hours × hourly rate regular rate = (straight-time pay + includable pay) ÷ total hours overtime premium = premium hours × regular rate × (1.5 − 1) gross pay = straight-time pay + includable pay + overtime premium
Worked example
Kentucky: seventh consecutive day
Seven 7-hour days = 49 total hours seventh-day premium hours = 7 weekly premium on remaining non-seventh-day hours = 2 total premium hours = 9, not 16
What this does not determine
- Whether the worker is exempt from overtime under state law or the federal FLSA.
- Whether the employer is covered by the FLSA, which matters especially when a state rule reaches only non-FLSA employers.
- Multi-rate weighted-average regular-rate issues beyond the single additional-pay field.
- Public works, prevailing wage, local ordinances, union contracts, agriculture, transportation, or other industry-specific rules.
- Whether a bonus or commission must be allocated to a different workweek.
Sources and verification
This page reads the overtime threshold, multiplier, special daily/seventh-day flags, coverage cautions, and source URL from src/data/states.json. The visible source for this page is the verified registry source and the citation used in prose is KRS 337.050. Automated tests cover the state's distinctive branch, weekly math, non-stacking of premium hours, and visible result rendering.
Kentucky overtime law: KRS 337.050 seventh-consecutive-day premium and the KRS 337.275 weekly rule
Kentucky has two distinct overtime provisions in its Revised Statutes. KRS 337.285 establishes the standard weekly overtime rule: time-and-a-half for hours over 40 in a workweek — the same threshold as the federal FLSA. KRS 337.050 adds a state-specific seventh-consecutive-day premium: when an employer permits an employee to work all seven days of a workweek AND the employee's total hours exceed 40, the seventh day's hours must be paid at time-and-a-half. Critically, the seventh-day rule does not apply if the employee works 40 or fewer total hours that week — both conditions (seven days worked, total hours over 40) must be met simultaneously.
Kentucky's minimum wage is set in KRS 337.275, which adopts the federal rate by reference. Kentucky currently has no state-set dollar figure above $7.25/hr — it tracks whatever the federal FLSA floor is. This is similar to New Hampshire's approach (RSA 279:21) but distinct from states like Ohio (CPI-indexed, $11.00/hr for large employers) or West Virginia ($8.75/hr) that set their own independent figures.
The Kentucky Labor Cabinet, Division of Wages and Hours (labor.ky.gov) enforces KRS 337.050 and KRS 337.285. Workers can file wage claims with the Kentucky Labor Cabinet. Violations of Kentucky's overtime statute can also be pursued through a private lawsuit under Kentucky law, in addition to FLSA claims through the U.S. DOL.
How does Kentucky compare to its neighbors? Tennessee, to the south, has no state overtime law at all — all overtime rights for Tennessee workers come from the federal FLSA, and there is no seventh-day rule. Virginia, to the east, has the Virginia Overtime Wages Act (VOWA, VA Code § 40.1-29.2) for overtime, plus a rising minimum wage schedule to $15.00 by 2028. Indiana, to the north, mirrors FLSA for overtime through IC 22-2-2 with no seventh-day rule. Ohio, to the northeast, uses ORC § 4111 with the same 40-hour threshold but applies only to businesses with gross receipts over $405,000. Kentucky's seventh-day premium under KRS 337.050 is the most distinctive overtime feature among its neighboring states — and the feature that separates its overtime page from states that merely pass through the federal FLSA rule.
Common questions
When does Kentucky's seventh-consecutive-day overtime rule apply?
KRS 337.050 requires time-and-a-half on the seventh consecutive day of a workweek when two conditions are both met: the employer permits the employee to work all seven days of the workweek, AND the employee's total hours for that workweek exceed 40. If the employee works fewer than 40 total hours — even working all seven days — the seventh-day rule does not trigger. Both conditions must be satisfied simultaneously.
Does Kentucky's seventh-day premium stack with weekly overtime?
No. This calculator counts seventh-day hours as premium time first, then applies weekly overtime only to remaining non-seventh-day hours beyond 40. For example: if seven days total 49 hours with 7 hours on the seventh day, the seventh-day hours are premium at 1.5×, and any remaining hours from the first six days over 40 are also premium — but the same seventh-day hours are not counted twice.
Does Kentucky have daily overtime?
No. Kentucky has no daily overtime rule. Only the seven-consecutive-day rule (KRS 337.050) and the weekly-40 rule (KRS 337.285) apply. A 12-hour shift in Kentucky earns straight time for all 12 hours unless the weekly total exceeds 40 or the seventh-day premium conditions are met.
How does Kentucky's overtime compare to Tennessee's?
Tennessee has no state overtime law — Tennessee workers have only the federal FLSA's 40-hour weekly rule with no seventh-day provision. Kentucky's KRS 337.050 gives Kentucky workers an additional state-law right when they work all seven days of a workweek with total hours over 40. The Tennessee-Kentucky border represents one of the sharpest state-law contrasts in overtime protection in the country.